Christmas greetings and New Year blessings to all of you from Ecuador!The tidings of great joy are for ALL people. We wish you great joy this Christmas as once again we recall that one small baby’s birth became the pivotal point of history – the world has never been the same since. One line from the Christmas carol titled Welcome to Our World by Chris Rice, a message as though sung to the newly arrived Christ Child, says: “Tiny heart whose blood will save us…” That was an event to cause rejoicing and celebration and reason to meditate.
We are grateful this Christmas for healthy, growing house churches – though not all growth is numerical or even visible. Sometimes the evidence of growth is the painful stuff that God is dealing with. But for all growth we are thankful. Early in December Clayton counted forty-five people squeezed into a living room in Arenillas for a Friday evening of worship and teaching. (The group pictured above is from Arenillas.)
We spent many hours at the computer in November, finalizing a leader’s training manual that we wrote, compiling material from various sources and writing some of our own. We were thrilled with the eager response as we taught and assigned the first modules of study and homework. Themes include basic evangelism training and how to work as teams to lead new small groups, basic discipleship and a bit of church history – who are we, anyway? Each chapter equips the believer with another facet of a strong foundation for confidence in becoming one of the Master’s servants. The plan is to study one of the 13 modules every two weeks with those who have completed a series of studies that gets them started in their walk with Christ. We are excited to see the fruit that will come from those who are now studying the manual.
"Little ones to Him belong..."
May "Christmas light" shine in every heart...
The angel’s Christmas message reminds us again – the good news of great joy is for ALL people: The little ones growing up in homes with a Mommy and Daddy who are learning how to be godly parents --( the toddler with a Bible in his lap is the son of Gualaceo house church leader, Jesus Eugenio Gomez). The older ones who have lived many years without the light of the knowledge of the glory of Christ – but whom we want to introduce to Jesus (the older man is Fransisco Castillo's father from Arenillas). And some who have special challenges (Nelly, second from right, daughter of Fransisco and Josefa, is deaf. She and her family were very excited to be given a manual to help them learn sign language. Nelly is very intelligent and learns quickly.) and many, many who are very normal. Christmas reminds us that ALL need to know of the Good News of Great Joy! A line from a missionary story I heard as a child says it well: “The Jesus songs and the Jesus stories are for everybody – everybody welcome!!”
May you personally know the “great joy which shall be to all people” that the angel announced so long ago. May the New Year bring opportunities to share it with others.
His for the Harvest,
Clayton and Thelma
